The Eighth Millennium Item
by Rose Spirit
Summary: A mysterious girl appears on Yugi's doorstep... What could she want?
1. Enter Lauren

Ellen: Hi once again! I wrote this before the whole Battle City finals  
thing even came into play, so if the facts aren't the same don't flame  
me. I rated this PG for future angst.  
  
Lauren: Bakura, would you have the honors of doing the disclaimer?  
  
Bakura: Certainly. (reading) Lauren Pegasus does not own anything Yu-  
Gi-Oh, but if she did, Tristan would burn in Heck.  
  
Tristan: Hey! (bursts into flames) AHHHHH!!!!!! (runs in circles)  
@#$%!!!! ^&*#&$^@!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Lauren: Now Yami Bakura, you'd better not try anything funny until  
it's the right time, okay?  
  
Yami Bakura: (smiling evilly) You mean like this? (summons a Curse of  
Dragon monster from his deck.) Go, Dragon! Douse him in even more  
flames!  
  
Tristan: AAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!  
  
Everyone except Tristan: *Laughter*  
  
Lauren: Hey! Yami Bakura, that's almost going too far. Where's the  
real Bakura, anyway?  
  
Bakura: Right here. (standing next to Yami Bakura, notices him) Aahhh!  
Who are you?!?!  
  
Yami Bakura: (in creepy voice) I am your worst nightmare... (lunges at  
Bakura)  
  
Lauren: (catching Yami Bakura's ear before he can do anything) One  
more thing, if you see anything that was maybe in any of your fanfics,  
just remember that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! (In  
other words I liked your ideas a lot!) I also look forward to more  
Tristan bashing. (to Yami Bakura, yelling in his ear) LEAVE BAKURA  
ALONE!!!  
Bakura: Hey Lauren, Tristan has reached a bucket of water!  
  
Lauren: Not for long! (uses Super Authoress powers to transform the  
water into gasoline just as Tristan pours it on himself)  
  
Tristan: AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *poof* (poofs into a pile of  
cinders)  
  
Everyone except Tristan: *Laughter*  
  
Yugi, as Yami, is walking down a street in Domino City somewhere.  
  
'It's been quite a while since the Battle City tournament started,' Yugi thinks to Yami and himself. 'I wonder if we should check in with Grandpa. Let's go over to the game shop and see him.'  
  
He arrives at his grandfather's store to see it closed, as Grandpa is currently cheering on Joey in his duel with Mako Tsunami. Yugi knocks on the door.  
  
"Grandpa! (knock, knock) It's me! (knock) Are you there?"  
  
A girl is leaning against a wall of the shop, facing Yugi, with her arms crossed. She has straight, long, brown hair with white highlights that tidily falls close to her waist, and deep blue eyes. The mysterious girl wears a light pink t-shirt with blue jeans, and looks about 18 years of age. She is about 5 and a half feet tall, and has a large, golden pendant hanging around her neck. There is a duel disk on her arm.  
  
"He's not at home Yugi, or should I say Yami," she says in a somewhat lofty voice. She stands up, with her arms still crossed, and smiles. "No one is."  
  
Yugi is surprised; the girl appeared from apparently nowhere but shadows.  
  
"Who are you?!" he demands, and, more to himself, "and what is it with females and our front door? First Rebecca, now you?"  
  
"Okay, well, what is it with guys and stupid questions?" she returns, sounding slightly ticked. There is an embarrassed silence.  
  
After a moment, the girl seems more relaxed, and speaks.  
  
"Anyway, my name is Lauren Pegasus, keeper of the Millennium Amulet."  
  
"Oh! Pegasus?!" Yugi is very surprised, as he's had enough trouble with that name to give him nightmares for life.  
  
"Yeah, a lot of people who know... er, knew... Maximillion Pegasus say that," Lauren Pegasus says, in a strange tone of voice.  
  
"I'm sorry. You said 'Millennium Amulet'?"  
  
"Yes. I have had it for a while now. It is the eighth Millennium Item." She holds up the pendant around her neck, and looks down at it. "It protects me from poison, curses, and mortalities of that nature." She looks at Yugi, and says, somewhat playfully, "Would you like to see what Duel Monster you are?"  
  
"Hm?" Yugi inquires.  
  
"Pardon me, for not explaining myself. My Millennium Amulet allows me to gaze into the depths of a human soul and see which Duel Monster that person is most suited for. After that, the Millennium Amulet can transform the person into that monster. "  
  
"Oh!" Yugi exclaims. This Millennium Item is really powerful! If Marik got his hands on it...  
  
"So?"  
  
"Excuse me. Yes, thank you, I would like to see what monster I am inside," Yugi apologizes.  
  
"Okay." Lauren grips her Millennium Amulet with both hands, closes her eyes, and starts concentrating. "Mmmmm......"  
  
The Amulet starts to glow. An eye appears on Lauren's forehead, and Yugi starts as the Item shines a beam of light over his heart. The lights fade slowly after a few seconds.  
  
"Of course..." Lauren mutters with her eyes still closed.  
  
"Yes?" Yugi inquires patiently.  
  
"Your Duel Monster is..." Lauren opens her eyes, "the Dark Magician! You are very bold, and through great sacrifices you can attain your full potential. Too bad about the sacrifices part..."  
  
"Hmm... yes, of course!" Yugi says thoughtfully, not hearing the last sentence. "If the Dark Magician was my most powerful Duel Monster in ancient Egypt, then that would make sense." He turns to Lauren. "But now, let's hear your side of the story, since you obviously know mine."  
  
Ellen: So? What'd ya think? I like Lauren! This was actually the first  
fanfic I ever wrote, but I just posted my YYH one first for some  
reason. This fic definitely won't be as long as "A Rainer Demon is  
Born" (which I really hope you will read if you're into YYH), but  
there's a sequel coming!  
  
Fwooshy: That's just about the longest author's note I've ever seen.  
  
Ellen: ...So?  
  
Fwooshy: So what?  
  
Ellen: So what what?  
  
Fwooshy: So what what what?  
  
Ellen: Cut that out!  
  
Fwooshy: Hee hee hee! You're so fun to mess with!  
  
Cheddar: .__.; Read and review please! 


	2. Lauren's Past

Ellen: Hi once again! Thank you soooo much for being my first  
reviewer, puffin, so for you I'll post this chappie. You've made me so  
happy ;__;  
  
Cheddar: We're sorry about the wait for the updates, by the way. We  
can't go on the internet every night (darn it).  
  
Fwooshy: Enjoy the fic! And tell your friends!  
  
"All right," Lauren begins, "well, as far back as I can remember, I've lived in an orphanage in San Francisco, California. Duel Monsters has been my passion for equally as long. Anyway, as soon as I was 18 years old, and finished with school, I went on a journey around the world, as I had longed to do since childhood. Eventually, my travels led me to Egypt. I don't know what it was, some force or instinct inside of me, but something led me to a staircase leading underground, and told me to follow it. So I went, down, down, seemingly to the center of the earth, until I reached a chamber."  
  
"This is starting to sound like Pegasus's odyssey! Interesting..."  
  
"The place was lit by torches, with ancient Egyptian inscriptions and pictures everywhere, but what seemed to interest me most was a giant stone along the back wall, depicting a person, who had over half a dozen oddly- shaped indents in him, a few of which held shiny, golden objects," she holds up her Amulet, "like my Amulet here, but I had no clue what they were until much later.  
  
"There was a man in a white turban and robe with a tan Egyptian complexion standing in front of the wall. One of the objects was hanging around his neck.  
  
'Hello, Lauren Pegasus. I've been expecting you,' he stated, as if we had somehow met before. I still don't know how he knew my name.  
  
'My name is Shadi, protector of the Millennium Items. You noticed an impulse that led you here, no doubt? Does it seem to be drawing you towards any of the objects in the wall?'  
  
The impulse also told me that I could trust him, besides his hasty introduction, so I answered all of his questions.  
  
'Yes... I would say, that one,' I said as I pointed to the Millennium Amulet.  
  
'Hmmm... well then, what do you think of Duel Monsters?' he  
inquired.  
  
'It's the best game ever! I've beaten everyone in my neighborhood!' I responded enthusiastically.  
  
'Good, because its creator would like to speak with you. When you arrive home, a package from him will be waiting for you. However, beware, for Maximillion Pegasus is not as he seems. Goodbye Lauren, and good luck!'  
  
There was a bright flash of light from the object around his neck, and the next thing I knew, I was standing at the top of that fateful staircase. Sure enough, as I arrived home from my travels, our caretaker met me at the door with a box from Industrial Illusions, Pegasus's company. It was relatively light in weight; inside it was a videotape and a black robe. I was examining the robe as the tape started. On the screen was a picture of Maximillion Pegasus. The picture spoke.  
  
'Hello, Lauren Pegasus,' he greeted me. 'As you know, my name is Maximillion Pegasus, creator of the Duel Monsters card game. I see you have received my announcement. Ever been intrigued by magic? Have an interest in ancient Egypt? Well, you're in luck, for I am starting my very own Magic Academy! It will be held on my island, Duelist Kingdom! Just pass one simple test and you're enrolled! What do you think?' I was surprised; a videotape had never asked me a non-rhetorical question before.  
  
'O...kay...' I stammered.  
  
'Good! Let the test begin! For your test, let's see, hmm...' Pegasus thinks for a moment. 'Ah, right! For your test, you can get out your Duel Monsters deck, and we shall duel!'  
  
Suddenly, I noticed that everything had frozen. Nothing was moving, and everything had gone dark and cold. Pegasus's left eye glowed, and a dueling mat appeared in front of Pegasus and myself.  
  
'Go ahead and start this duel,' he invited. 'We're in the Shadow Realm now. Just look at what happens when you play a card!'  
  
I'm sure you know what dueling in the Shadow Realm is like, Yugi. I was astounded to see all of my monsters really come to life. The duel raged back and forth, neither duelist letting up, but eventually, Pegasus got the better of me. I came close to winning, but I now know that Pegasus was just playing with me, because he could see every move I would make in my mind with his Millennium Eye. After the duel was over, Pegasus spoke.  
  
'Lauren, I'm impressed! I've never come so close to losing before! So, even though you lost, I will accept you into my Academy. If you learn enough, I may just answer your burning question.' His Eye flickered. 'The Academy starts in two weeks, and bring the robe.'  
  
The tape ended abruptly. I remember wondering to myself how he knew about my question, the one that still haunts me today..."  
  
"What question is that?" Yugi asks.  
  
"Well... I want to know if Maximillion Pegasus is my father!"  
Lauren blurts out.  
  
"Oh! Her last name is Pegasus, after all, so it's only logical... please, continue."  
  
"Thank you. Inside the package was also a map to Duelist Kingdom, and the date the boat left to take everyone there. Once I arrived, my training began, and I worked hard. It definitely wasn't easy, and I'll spare you the details, but somehow I made it to the top of every class. The classes varied from Duel Monsters strategies to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs to reading tea leaves. My classmates and I never knew what to expect, as there were different teachers almost every day. There was just one rule - we didn't need any others, Pegasus's messages in everyone's individual tapes practically scared us straight. The rule stated that every change in the lunar phases there was, in the Duel Monsters class, a dueling tournament, ancient Egyptian style, that every student must participate in. Each player would summon one monster that would be carved on a stone tablet, which rose from the floor by magic. The monster carved on the tablet with the highest attack points would destroy the other tablet, and the student would leave the arena in disgrace. After every student but one was defeated, the highest winner would face Pegasus. Time and time again, I made it to the top, and time and time again Pegasus would defeat me. On the last day of training, there was one final tournament. If you won your first duel, you passed. Also, if you got to the top this time, you would receive a special commendation from Pegasus himself. Once again, I prevailed, and faced Pegasus for the last time.  
  
'All right Pegasus, let's do this! I summon the Blue-Eyes Toon  
Dragon!'  
  
'Very nice, Lauren! You must like toons a lot for the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon to be your strongest instead of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon,' he crooned. 'You know, they're my favorite, too! Oh my, though, looks like I've won again! Take a peek!'  
  
His tablet displayed... Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!  
  
'With an attack power of 3500, my Magna Warrior beats your dragon by 500 points!' Pegasus announced.  
  
'No!' I was sure I had beaten him; I'd never played my dragon  
before.  
  
'Oh, Lauren, that's really too bad. You were my best student, too.' Pegasus shook his head, and looked at me with a mixture of a smile and regret.  
  
'What are you saying, Pegasus?!' I had no clue what he was  
talking about.  
  
'I mean that now I must send you to the Shadow Realm. You're just too powerful. So sorry about your question.' His left eye flickered.  
  
'Pegasus, why?!' I felt, as well as saw, myself and everything around me disappearing into blackness, and I knew no more. 


	3. Shadi's Prank

Ellen: Sorry about the delay! I had a book report... and a poetry book...  
and so much homework!  
  
Fwooshy: It's about time you updated!  
  
Ellen: ;__; This is the first chance I've gotten to go on the  
internet! Anyway, here's some more of my fic! Shadi is extremely out  
of character, and so is Marik, I guess... Pretty much every actual  
character has been messed up... Sorry about that! We hadn't really  
gotten to know them when I wrote this!  
  
Fwooshy: You should be ashamed.  
  
Ellen: Shut up.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.  
  
Darkness, everything was darkness. Then I realized that my eyes were closed, so I opened them, and still there was darkness, but with periodic spots of dim, colored light. I drifted, or was it my mind, or my imagination? it seemed an eternity. I saw, met, befriended many who had come there before me, but always I was lonely, and scared. In one particular bout of loneliness, suddenly, I felt joy. Joy, like only Sylvester who has just eaten Tweety could know. I wanted to shout, I wanted to jump, I wanted to fly until my wings fell off.  
  
'Wings?!' I thought to myself. Just then, I took a good look at myself, and I realized that I had become the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon! Laughter welled up inside of me. I laughed and laughed, but suddenly, I felt a presence behind me, and stopped. I turned, and fired my White Lightning at it, but somehow I felt that it had done nothing. As I looked at the presence, it seemed to grow larger, until it materialized into... that stupid Valkyrion the Magna Warrior again! He charged, and fired his attack as I watched, and everything was dark again. I vaguely remember crying out, 'Not again!', but I could've just imagined it. The next thing I knew, I was in Shadi's underground chamber. 'Shadi! How did I get here?' I wondered.  
'Hello, Lauren, we meet again. Do you remember the item that you seemed to be drawn to when you were here last?'  
'Do I ever!'  
'Well, I believe that it is time for you to receive it. It must be your destiny, seeing that you became your favorite monster when you were exposed to the Millennium Amulet's power.'  
'What does that mean? We just glanced over the Millennium Items in Pegasus's Academy, and I don't know the function of each one.'  
'Each Millennium Item chooses its owner, and I believe that this Item has chosen you.' He explained why and how the Millennium Items came to be, and told me of each one's special abilities. When he got to the Millennium Amulet, I became especially interested.  
'The Millennium Item that has chosen you is called the Millennium Amulet. It was the most recently created Millennium Item. It allows the wearer to look into a person's soul and see the Duel Monster that their soul most suits. You are allowed to transform yourself into any monster you choose. I was testing it and you to see if you were ready.'  
'So you were the Valkyrion!' I was a little steamed, and rightly  
so.  
'I am sorry about that... It was a treat to see the look on your  
face, though!'  
'Grrr...'  
'Anyway, if you want a monster with over 3500 attack points, you must get permission from the Gods.'  
'Gods? Which ones? Mesopotamian, Greek, there are too many...'  
'Don't be an idiot. I'm sure you've learned of them: Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and the Winged Dragon of Ra. Even for the ancient Egyptian pharaoh who captured all the monsters five millennia ago, it's impossible to completely contain a god within a stone tablet. Part of their being still exists with us today. Also, the Millennium Amulet protects its wearer from poisoning, assassination, curses, and mortalities of that nature. '  
'Whoa... Do you think I could try it?' I was eager to test my  
newfound powers.  
'I wouldn't test the poison protection, but yes. The Item is yours now. Now, to use it, hold it like this,' he showed me a stance in which to most effectively utilize the Amulet's powers, 'close your eyes, concentrate very hard on every aspect of your monster - attack and defense, size, etc. - and when you feel different, open your eyes.'  
"I closed my eyes and concentrated. Somehow I was able to detect everything that was going on. The Amulet's eye glowed, and gave off a burst of light, which made me glow as well. I slowly changed shape, still glowing. This time, I felt a tiny 'poof' as I became the monster, and abruptly stopped glowing. I opened my large, purple eyes, looked down at my sharp, yellow claws, and gave a small cry of joy. My Amulet somehow still hung around my neck. 'Roo!' 'Kuriboh?' Shadi was taken aback. Then, more relaxed, 'He, he, ah well, to transform back, just think "I wish to be myself again" twice.' There was another small 'poof' and... 'Shadi, were you laughing at me?!' 'Heh, heh, I wasn't laughing at you, just your choice of monsters.' 'Sure you were. Well, what do you think?' I was eager to please him despite myself. 'That was a fine first try. With more practice it can be even faster.' "As a result I've practiced a lot and I can transform in the blink of an eye. So Yugi, what do you think of my end of the story?" Yugi is standing with his mouth open, but he regains his composure when I look at him. "...You transformed into Kuriboh just telling your story!" Lauren scratches the back of her head, smiling. "Oh, sorry. Unh!" "Lauren!?" Lauren grabs the sides of her head and sinks to her knees. A glowing eye appears on her forehead and she relaxes, and stands up as if her movements are not her own. Yugi looks into her eyes and notices no pupils in Lauren's once crystal blue eyes, only an evil, dark, blank glare. Yugi's voice turns cold. "Marik!" Lauren speaks in that strange double-voice that is all too familiar to Yugi. "So, pharaoh, we happen to meet again." "Let Lauren go free of your mind control, Marik! She has nothing to do with us!" Yugi sounds almost desperate. "Sorry, Yugi, but now we must duel! If you win, I might consider letting her go. Although, her Millennium Item would be a nice asset to add to my collection..." "I have to win this, or else it won't be just me in trouble!"  
  
Ellen: So what do you think? I hope the fic's going in a good  
direction for all of you. Review if you like something, review if you  
don't like something, review if you just want to tell me something.  
Just...  
  
Fwooshy: Review...  
  
Cheddar: Please!! ^__^ 


	4. The Unfortunate Duel

Ellen: Hiya! I'm sorry it took so long for me to update once again... I loaned my friend the disk that all my fanfics are stored on!  
  
Fwooshy: Excuses, excuses, excuses.  
  
Ellen: Shut up.  
  
The holo-emitters burst from the duel disks on the player's arms. Life points are set to 4000.  
  
"I shall start this duel, pharaoh." Marik states. "I summon Kaiser Seahorse, in attack mode! Also, two magic cards face down!" The Kaiser Seahorse appears, and stands as tall as Lauren.  
  
Yugi makes his move. "Beta, the Magnet Warrior in attack mode! An attack would just cause a stalemate, and he can't destroy my Beta with just his Kaiser, so I end my turn."  
  
"Fine, I'll set one more card face down, and sacrifice Kaiser Seahorse to play a monster in face down defense mode! Now it's your move, pharaoh."  
  
"Hmm, defense mode?" Yugi mutters under his breath. Then, to Marik, "Trying to hide, Marik, you coward? Well, I'll place one monster in defense mode, and attack your face down monster with my Magnet Warrior!"  
  
"Hah!" Marik crooned. "You've attacked my Labyrinth Wall! And, I'll activate one of my face down cards, The Reliable Guardian! That boosts my Wall's defense points to 3700, which means you lose half of your life points! Ah ha ha!"  
  
"Arr..." Yugi's Life points drop to 2000.  
  
"Now it's my turn, Yami! Even though its defense points are 3000, I'll switch my Labyrinth Wall to attack mode..."  
  
"What??"  
  
"...and play the Shield and Sword magic card! My Wall's and your Beta's defense points switch with their attack points! Now, Labyrinth Wall, attack Beta! Ha ha!"  
  
"No!" Yugi's life points drop to 600.  
  
Suddenly, Lauren's voice rings out from nowhere. "That's quite enough of this duel!" Lauren/Marik closes her eyes, grits her teeth, clenches her fists, and the eye on her Millennium Amulet glows, then dims. The eye on her forehead disappears. Lauren sinks to her knees, drops onto all fours, and opens her eyes, breathing heavily.  
  
"Lauren!" Yami cries.  
  
As Yugi approaches, Lauren slowly stands up and grins.  
  
"Don't worry, Yugi, I'm fine," Lauren reassures him, somewhat weakly. She takes a deep breath, and her voice becomes normal. "I was able to use Marik's own greed against him."  
  
Yugi is still dazed by these sudden events happening so fast. "What?"  
  
Lauren explains patiently. "Whenever Marik controls someone's mind with his Millennium Rod, a link is formed between the Item and the person's mind. However, if they have a Millennium Item, a link is formed to there too. So, I managed to combine the link to my mind and the link to my Amulet, and transformed him into his soul's monster over the link. Fortunately, it was only a Giant Soldier of Stone, so let's go!"  
  
Yugi is still a bit dazed. "Go? Go where?"  
  
Lauren smiles. "Go to Marik, of course! My Amulet can also locate the people that it has transformed." She lowers her voice. "He must pay..." Lauren hisses evilly slightly under her breath. Then, she speaks to the Millennium Amulet. "Millennium Amulet, please help us find Marik Ishtar!"  
  
The eye on the Millennium Amulet glows black, and shoots a beam of black light at a spot across the street.  
  
"Just great. He's in the Shadow Realm. Oh well." The duo walks to the spot.  
  
Lauren still addresses her Millennium Item. "Now Amulet, let us enter the Shadow Realm to find and punish Marik Ishtar!"  
  
Ellen: Sorry, Marik fangirls! I just drew a random card from my deck to determine his monster and that was the monster I chose!  
  
Fwooshy: How dare you! Poor Marik-kun...  
  
Cheddar: So Fwooshy actually likes someone?  
  
Fwooshy: Shut up! I didn't say anything! You can't prove I did!!  
  
Ellen: .__.; Read and review! 


	5. That's what happens to bad people!

Ellen: Eh heh heh heh... Thank you very much to Atriux for pointing out that the chapter that was supposed to be here actually goes in my Digimon fic!!  
  
Cheddar: We're so embarrassed!!%%  
  
Ellen: Well, anyway, here's the REAL ending!!  
  
The eye on the Millennium Amulet glows black, and shoots a beam of black light at a spot across the street. "Just great. He's in the Shadow Realm. Oh well." The duo walks to the spot. Lauren still addresses her Millennium Item. "Now Amulet, let us enter the Shadow Realm to find and punish Marik Ishtar!" A bright flash of light envelops Lauren and Yami, and they, and the light, disappear, to reappear in the Shadow Realm, standing on apparently nothing, in front of a Giant Soldier of Stone, who is facing them. In the Shadow Realm, both Yugi and Yami are visible. Marik, even as a Giant Soldier of Stone, still holds his Millennium Rod. "Yugi! Lauren! Pharaoh!" the Soldier spits. Lauren smiles faintly. "Hello to you too, Marik. Are you ready to meet your doom? I summon the Toon World card from my deck, and with the power of my Millennium Amulet, transform myself into the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon!" The Amulet's eye glows, and gives off a burst of light, which makes Lauren glow as well. She slowly changes shape, still glowing, and when she is fully monster she abruptly stops glowing and glares at Marik. "White Lightning attack!" Lauren prepares to attack. She takes in a huge gulp of air. "Stop!" Ishizu has appeared from apparently nowhere. Lauren lets out her breath in a little burst of steam, and looks annoyed. "Ishizu?!" Yugi asks wonderingly. Ishizu turns to Lauren. "I cannot let you destroy my brother, even considering the things that he's done." "But Ishizu-"The Blue-Eyes begins impatiently. Ishizu interrupts. "No!" "Ishizu, come here for a moment. Let's make a deal." Ishizu walks over to where Lauren hovers, and they have a short whispered conversation. They both nod to each other, and face Marik and Yugi/Yami. "I will spare your life on only one condition," the dragon declares. Marik's voice sounds scared, yet bold. "What would that be?" "The condition is that you must give up any connection to ancient Egypt that you possess, such as your Winged Dragon of Ra card and the Millennium Rod. You may still play Duel Monsters, but don't even think of starting up the Rare Hunters again. You have one minute to decide. 60, 59, 58..." "Er, um..." "31, 30, 29..." "Oh, uh... hey, what's to stop me from just attacking you all right now?" "1700 attack points and about 6 seconds. 5, 4, 3..." "Stop! I will agree to your terms." The Blue-Eyes turns to Ishizu, Yugi, and Yami. "Anything to save his own pathetic life, huh?" Then, to everyone, reluctantly, "All right, Marik, I will spare your life. However, you must now speak with one of your Rare Hunters that isn't controlled by the Millennium Rod and tell them to hand over your God card to Yugi when we return." "Not one of my mind slaves?" the Soldier asked. "No," Lauren replied, "because now you shall release all of your mind slaves, before you give the Rod to Yugi." "All right..." Bright pulses of light shine from the Rod to many points in the sky, then disappear. "Lauren..." Yugi approaches the dragon. "Hm?" "You may keep his Winged Dragon of Ra card. I already possess Slifer the Sky Dragon, after all." Lauren changes back to her human form, and grabs the card from Marik. "Thank you, Yugi, but are you sure?" "Of course I'm sure!" Yugi smiles. "Thank you very much Yugi, but you should at least take the Millennium Rod," Lauren says. Yami answers for them. "We plan to. Now, Marik, is that everything that you ancient Egyptian that you have?" Marik narrows his eyes. "No, but I could show you what it was if I was human." "Fine, I'll change you back," Lauren concedes, "but don't try anything funny because Yugi still has your Millennium Rod." She addresses the Millennium Amulet. "Millennium Amulet, please transform Marik Ishtar human again!" The Giant Soldier of Stone emits a bright light, disappears, and in its place Marik appears, fully clothed. Marik sighs. "This is my only other tie to ancient Egypt, besides my knowledge of the ancient scriptures." He turns his back to the group, and takes off his robe. "What a tattoo!" "Oh!" Lauren and Yami, respectively, are wide-eyed at the sight of the tattooing on Marik's back. Ishizu explains for her brother. "Yes, anyone who receives the special training passed down in our family will obtain this tattoo when there is no more for him to learn." "Well, I think we can let him keep his knowledge and pretty much his entire back, what do you think?" Lauren states as she looks at Ishizu. Ishizu looks at Lauren and nods. "Yes, I think so. Now brother," Ishizu looks regretfully at Marik, "I bid you farewell, for I fear that I shall never be able to speak to you again after all this." She then turns to Lauren, Yugi, and Yami. "Let's get out of this place. It always gives me the creeps!" Lauren smiles. "Same here!" "Hey, what about me?!" Marik starts to panic. Lauren winks to Ishizu, Yugi and Yami "Should we take him with us?" Yugi pretends to think. "I don't know; he was acting pretty nasty, taking control of other people's minds for evil and all." "To his own sister as well!" "Please, don't leave me here!!" Marik is frantic. Yami reluctantly voices their decision. "All right, but don't make us regret it!" Everyone, except Marik, laughs.  
  
Ellen: All right! Go Lauren! Isn't she awesome!  
  
Fwooshy: Of course she is to you. You wrote her.  
  
Ellen: I'm just not going to listen... Yay Lauren!  
  
Cheddar: Sigh Please forgive us for the little mix-up by reviewing! 


End file.
